This invention relates to the art of "thiol-ene" cures of polymers, that is cure of polymers by radiation induced addition of thiol functions to carbon-carbon unsaturation.
The basic principles of radiation induced thiol addition to carbon-carbon unsaturation, particularly terminal unsaturated bonds, in various molecules are reviewed by Griesbaum in Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), 9, (1970), page 273.
The use of this type of reaction in curing various polymers, including urethane polymers, to form elastomers and resins is well-known in the art. No polymers having vinyl-acetal terminal groups are known to have been cured using this method.